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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586821">Your Presence, it Soothes Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kevlar01/pseuds/Kevlar01'>Kevlar01</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Hugs, space</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:33:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>878</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586821</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kevlar01/pseuds/Kevlar01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just two beings chillin in a spaceship less than 2 millimeters apart cause all the witnesses can be dismantled if necessary.</p>
<p>Grievous and Maul are both on the Invisible Hand, waiting for their next assignment. Maul decides it is a good time to take advantage of the quiet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>General Grievous &amp; Darth Maul</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Your Presence, it Soothes Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The title. I had to. It came to me and it was TOO GOOD TO PASS UP EVEN THOUGH THE LINE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THESE CHARACTERS. In my mind Maul has a hard time taking a break from overthinking the universe, and finds Grievous, who is pretty solid in what his goals in life are, a non distracting presence.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grievous stood on the bridge of the <em>Invisible Hand</em>, surveying the relatively empty space before him. His droids puttered away at their duties, sitting at their stations and monitoring the ship as well as the area around the ship. He heard somewhat organic footsteps behind him. Grievous looked down and sure enough, a pair of red and black arms had encircled his torso. “I do not understand why you wear shoes, apprentice. You do not need them anymore.” Grievous spoke without trying to turn around. There was only one other truly sentient being on this ship. “I am no longer an apprentice, general. And some of us like to accentuate other parts of ourselves.”</p>
<p>Grievous vaguely remembered caring about the concept of “style”. Evidently Maul still cared, at least to an extent. Grievous couldn’t blame him for holding onto his sense of organicness. After all, if Grievous had had access to the force he would not want to lose any part of himself that connected him to it. Inwardly he scoffed a little. He had foregone his body and had become more powerful than any force user. All through the power of mechanics. Maul too was more powerful. HIs legs would never tire, and they would never fail him, as long as Maul didn’t physically damage them. There was no longer a need for him to be jealous of other beings.  <em>However</em>, he thought wistfully, <em>these parts are not as sensitive as I would have liked.</em> Grievous could no longer feel the more.. nuanced.. spectrum of touch. Especially if he could not see what was happening. If his armor got dented in battle he could “feel” it, in a sense, as long as he heard or saw what had happened and his brain put together a ghost of what it might have felt like. He remembered physical, more intimate touch. Apparently just seeing it happen to himself was enough for his brain to simulate the feeling of the chemicals his organic self would have gotten a dose of when receiving touch. “You know I cannot feel this.”<br/>“Hm. And?” Maul said. “I get more benefits if you do that where I can see you, Maul.” Grievous rumbled out, gravelly tones raking over the quiet clacking of the working droids.<br/>“Of course, dear general.” Maul drawled. “Though you should know that what I am doing is quite sentimental to some beings.” <br/>Grievous scoffed. “It isn’t sentimental to me unless I can see it.” <br/>“As you wish.” Maul moved to hug the general from the front. The shorter Zabrak wrapped his arms back around Grievous and settled his horned head against the general’s armor plating. The metal was cool against Maul’s skin, and the general’s body was solid in his arms. There was no warmth here, just a presence in the force, not overwhelming when at rest, but dark and fierce in battle. It was refreshing.</p>
<p>Maul could feel Grievous falter from the touch. The cyborg was not a frequent receiver of hugs, and Maul was not a frequent giver, but with the general and only battle droids as their witness, he felt inclined to seek this particular type of company. It quieted the voices of rage in his mind.<br/>Grievous hesitated a moment before putting his arms around Maul. His eyes roamed over what he could see of the Zabrak. Mostly his horned head and shoulders. A ghost of sensation ran through him, generated by his memories of sensory input. It was warmer than he remembered. He coughed slightly, more out of unsurity than anything. How had he handled these things in the past? Maul had touched him before but it had been more casual and Grievous had interpreted it as a misplaced effort in building a sort of camaraderie. He was pretty sure the silence was fine, since Maul seemed relaxed. Grievous made an effort to loosen his joints a little to allow his body to conform to Maul’s slightly more. Maul felt Grievous make an attempt to relax and squeezed him tighter.<br/>Grievous felt Maul’s arms constrict around him and his lungs protested. “Haragh hagh You are crushing me hargh”<br/>“Mmm. My apologies.” Maul hummed. He loosened his arms and leaned back to look at Grievous’s face. He took comfort in the solidity of Grievous’s arms behind him and reached a hand up to the general’s faceplate. He ran his thumb along it, a bit under Grievous’s eye. “You are a fascinating being general.” he said.<br/>“And you are perhaps the only one who thinks so.” Grievous replied, content to be looking at Maul and the places they intersected. Maul let his hand come briefly to Grievous’s shoulder, rubbing the cape there and then turned so that his back was to the general. He tapped his fingers against Grievous’s arms, which were still looped around him. He leaned back, letting his weight fall against the cyborg. Grievous rumbled appreciatively. Or maybe he coughed. It was sometimes hard to tell. But his arms tightened around Maul, causing Maul to smile slightly as he gazed out the viewport. The stars were still there. The droids whirred and clacked and continued with their tasks. It was cool. It was relatively comfortable. The force was quiet, and it was a relief.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyromanicofthesea">Pyromanicofthesea</a> for this thing haha. Go read their stuff too. I was having trouble coming up with people to write about and they sent me a list and of course I went with the least cuddly option. XD XD XD But it happened! They hug.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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